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Financial Boost for Virginia Workforce Credential Program

Helping Virginian's Pay for Education

Lawmakers have currently expressed their interest in giving the VA’s Workforce Credential Program a much needed financial kick start. As this legislative period comes to a close, the VA’s Workforce Credential Program is one of the main topics that lawmakers have left to discuss. This “FastForward” initiative is intended to help continue to boost the economy by providing additional funds for Virginia residents.

What will this do for me?

The VA Workforce Credential Program is a short-term initiative that lasts about 6 to 12 weeks and allows Virginia residents to register for classes within the Virginia Community College System. These programs get geared towards industries such as trucking and manufacturing. Getting students “in-and-out” allows people to have a chance at getting a quality education so that they can get jobs in in-demand fields and better their individual lives. By training students in specific fields where the demand is high, helps ensure that these students will find jobs when they graduate from the program.

How will this work for me?

FastForward programs require students to pay 1/3 of the cost up front, and the institution takes care of the rest. The FastForward programs not only boost industries like the trucking industry, but it also helps Virginia families who have adults out working minimum wage jobs trying to support families break what a cycle of being meager income or even in poverty is. It gives people of all ages and from all walks of life a chance to improve their lives, make a better living, gain the benefits that come with truck driving jobs (and those in many other industries), and provide for their families long-term.

The state of Virginia is willing to pay up to $3,000 per student for credentials with the most expensive program costing about $4,500 ($1,500 out of pocket for the participant). So far, since 2016 over 12,000 participants have received credentials and been able to improve their lives thanks to the VA Workforce Credential Program.

Why is this important for me?

It has been announced that there have been an additional $4 million allocated to the program, which is believed to cover the entire backlog of money that the program needed to get up to date on their past expenses. The Community College Workforce Alliance reports that a large portion of the students who came through the program indeed ended up going to training to get their CDL and work in the trucking industry.

Del. Chris Jones (R-District 76) reports that the goal of the program is to train truck drivers as well as many other skilled laborers such as those who get needed in the manufacturing industry. The purpose of this entire bill is to give more people the opportunity to gain skills that they will need to get into a higher-paying job with excellent benefits, so everyone has a chance to support their families.

For further information about what this new initiative might mean for you, contact CDS Tractor Trailer Training. Let’s sit down and find a plan that makes sense financially and works with your current lifestyle!